Garrett Leigh on House of Cards, the Porthkennack series you Can’t Miss! (Interview & Giveaway)

The inspiration was the wonderful world that Alex Beecroft created for every author that took part in the project. All the books are individual stories, but there was a real sense of teamwork going on. We all contracted our books several years ago, and to see them come to fruition now is wonderful. Alex gave us magic to play with.

2. When you use various locations in a story, is it to places you have traveled or places you have researched or both?

Both. I’ve never been to any of the American locations I’ve used in my earlier books, but London is very familiar to me, so it’s swings and roundabouts. On occasion, I create fictional towns too, which is always fun, for me, at least. Not so much my editors who I forget to tell, so they end up goodgling facts on a place that doesn’t exist.

3. I know so many people love a friends to lovers story which this sounds like it is…what draws you to that storyline?

Relationship development is a huge hook for me when I’m writing, particularly with men who can sometimes be more reticent than women when it comes to communication. Non-verbal clues are key, and so are all the senses. I like to write warmth between my characters, and F-2-L is the perfect platform for it.

4. Is there some mystery here as well? Do you love to read mysteries too?

Porthkennack is the real mystery. There’s so much to it, and more and more is revealed with every book that comes out. That being said, Brix has his secrets, and so does Calum, so yeah, I guess there is a dash of mystery.

Reading wise, a mystery has to be extremely well done to keep me interested. In romance, there’s a lot of melodrama and that irritates me too much to keep me reading.

5. What is the most magical place on earth in your opinion? What speaks of home to you?

Home to me is my bed with a cuppa and my whole family—furry and human—all piled in to watch Star Wars. Away from home, we have a campervan that carries its own magic wherever it takes us. We love being on the road and truthfully, we all make our own magic, right?

About House of Cards

Calum Hardy’s life has unravelled. Reeling from the betrayal of a man he once loved, he boards a train heading south, with no real idea where he’s going except a world away from London.

Brix Lusmoore can hardly believe his eyes when he spots one of his oldest friends outside Truro station. He hasn’t seen Calum since he fled the capital himself four years ago, harbouring a life-changing secret. But despite the years of silence, their old bond remains, warm and true—and layered with simmering heat they’ve never forgotten.

Calum takes refuge with Brix and a job at his Porthkennack tattoo shop. Bit by bit, he rebuilds his life, but both men carry the ghosts of the past, and it will take more than a rekindled friendship and the magic of the Cornish coast to chase them away.

Welcome to Porthkennack, a charming Cornish seaside town with a long and sometimes sinister history. Legend says King Arthur’s Black Knight built the fort on the headland here, and it’s a certainty that the town was founded on the proceeds of smuggling, piracy on the high seas, and the deliberate wrecking of cargo ships on the rocky shore. Nowadays it draws in the tourists with sunshine and surfing, but locals know that the ghosts of its Gothic past are never far below the surface.

This collaborative story world is brought to you by five award-winning, best-selling British LGBTQ romance authors: Alex Beecroft, Joanna Chambers, Charlie Cochrane, Garrett Leigh, and JL Merrow. Follow Porthkennack and its inhabitants through the centuries and through the full rainbow spectrum with historical and contemporary stand-alone titles.

Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British writer and book designer, currently working for Dreamspinner Press, Loose Id, Riptide Publishing, and Fox Love Press.

Garrett’s debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and her polyamorous novel, Misfits was a finalist in the 2016 LAMBDA awards.

When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible, all the while shouting at her menagerie of children and animals and attempting to tame her unruly and wonderful FOX.

Garrett is also an award winning cover artist, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com, and co-owns the specialist stock site moonstockphotography.com with renowned LGBTQA+ photographer Dan Burgess.

To celebrate the release of House of Cards, one lucky winner will receive a $25 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on July 22, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Congrats and thanks for the interview. So many things clicked with me – the collaborative series, all authors I’m a fan of, the setting and mood, seeing the relationship develop, and romance needing to be more than melodrama. –
TheWrote [at] aol [dot] com